Gleeful Complex
by KTEW
Summary: Based on Aya Nakahara's Lovely Complex. When a super tall girl and a super short guy are in the same class, of course everyone starts pairing them up. But when they fall for each other's best friends, things get a bit more complicated. The Glee Project
1. Chapter 1

*McKynleigh*

Alright, so I've always been a little tall. Therefore, at assemblies and everything, I'd always be in the back. And you know those really long, dull speeches that make you wanna fall asleep? The day before ninth grade summer break I kind of… sort of… did.

"Um, sorry about that," I muttered.

My homeroom teacher glanced up from shuffling a stack of papers. "You fell asleep in the middle of the end of school assembly."

"Sorry, Mr. Woodlee," I repeated, standing awkwardly, my hands locked behind my back.

"What, were you up all night partying, or something?" he asked, turning back to his papers.

"Watching horror movies, actually…" I admitted.

"_Very_ nice, Abraham." He didn't look up. "As for your punishment, you're officially enrolled in summer school."

I froze. "What?"

"Summer school," he repeated. "You. Going."

"But…" I started, gaping. "B-b-but I…"

He glanced up again. "You're going, Abraham. End of story."

I turned away, trying not to cry. _Summer school_!

Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the few boys I actually _knew_ trying to reach something on a high shelf. He was failing.

I walked over, grabbed the box he was reaching for, and leaned down to hand it to him, forcing a small smile. "For you."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you making fun of me?"

I shrugged, my smile turning a bit more amused. "Maybe a little."

He glared, grabbed the box from my hand, and shoved past me, almost making me fall over.

"Hey!" I said, turning around, hands on my hips, now fully standing. "What was that for?"

He ignored me, set the box on Mr. Woodlee's desk, and started to move back to his seat. I growled inwardly and stepped in front of him.

He glared up at me. "What?"

"Why'd you shove me?" I tried to sound more intimidating than hurt. He'd been glaring at me ever since the beginning of the year, when we'd found out we had every class together.

"You were in the way, Amazon," he said simply, slipping past me.

I tensed. _Amazon_? I turned and glared at him. "What'd you call me, midget?"

He turned back around, scowling. "You wanna fight?"

"What if I do?" I asked, clenching my fists.

"Hey, break it up!" Mr. Woodlee called from across the room. "Save the flirting for after school!"

"The what!" we exclaimed in unison, whipping around.

"You _are_ going out, right?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No!" we yelled, again in unison.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the last class on the last day of school – for everyone but me, at least. The two of us turned away from him, still scowling, grabbed our stuff, and joined the rest of the school in the hall. Everyone else had been in the gym or cafeteria. We'd been with Mr. Woodlee because at the beginning of the year we'd been unwillingly chosen to be the class representatives.

"Ugh, I can't believe that," he grumbled as we slipped out. "Why the hell would he think _we_ were going out?"

"I dunno." I shrugged, my scowl slowly turning into a soft frown. I glanced over at him. "Hey, Matheus?"

He looked up. "What?"

"Why do you hate me?" I asked curiously.

He paused, surprised. "What?"

"Why do you hate me?" I repeated calmly, stopping next to him.

He stared up at me, confused. "Who said I hate you?" His gaze drifted off to the side. "Hey, Cameron, wait up!" he yelled, tearing himself away from me and running after the other boy.

"Wait a – Matheus!" I yelled after him. "You do not get to end this conversation like that! Get back here!"

Of course, he didn't hear.

_Aaaargh_! I screamed inwardly. _God, he pisses me off_!

"Miki!"

I turned around. My two best friends were headed in my direction, Emily strutting and Ellis keeping Emily's pace, but looking like she'd rather run.

"Oh, hey, guys," I said as they stopped in front of me. "How've you been? I haven't seen you all day."

Emily shrugged. "Fine. Ooh, what'd Zach say about you falling asleep?"

I rolled my eyes at her use of his first name and sighed. "I have to go to summer school."

Ellis's eyes widened. "_You_ in summer school? Little Miss Goody-Goody?"

"Hey, I'm in it, too!" Emily said defensively.

"Oh, I know," Ellis said, shrugging. "I'm just surprised that _she_ is."

Emily glared. "Chica, you wanna go?"

I stepped between them. "Hey, guys. We're all friends, right?" I put my arms around the two of them.

"I was _kidding_, you know," Ellis said, sincerity replacing her nonchalant expression.

Emily sighed and smiled a bit. "Yeah, boo, I know."

"The power of friendship!" I said happily, letting them go.

"Do you think I should come, too?" Ellis asked.

I looked at her, surprised. "Why would you?"

"I don't wanna be _alone_!" she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You two are my only friends! And no, Emily," she placed a finger in front of Emily's half-open mouth without even looking, "Cameron doesn't count."

Emily looked at me. "_You_ consider him a friend, right?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah. He's around too much for me not to."

Emily turned back to Ellis, smiling haughtily.

Ellis rolled her eyes and turned back to me. "So, do you think I should come?"

I shrugged again. "Why not? If you think it's be more fun than being alone with your anime."

She thought a moment. "Ooh, three months of Inuyasha and Soul Eater… Nope, too lonely. Summer school it is!"

Emily and I laughed.

"Well, before that," Ellis continued, half-jumping in place, her short hair bouncing against her cheeks, "let's go do something! I'm far too hyper to stand around talking."

I shook my head at her, trying to hide my grin. "Fine, fine. Let's go to the park. You can swing to your little heart's desire."

"I'm not little!" she indignantly as we started walking. "Emily's only two inches taller than me!"

"Well, that _is_ a whole two inches, boo," Emily said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Shut up," Ellis grumbled.

"Oh, come on, 5'2" isn't that bad," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"You're 5'10", you don't get to say anything," she said, turning away from me in a very Emily-like fashion.

"So," Emily cut in, trying to tone _down_ the drama for once. "Everyone's being placed together, right? Do you think there'll be any hotties?" She grinned.

"You have a boyfriend, Emily," Ellis reminded her. Emily winked at her.

I stuck my hand out, palm facing Ellis. "Forever alone?"

She nodded and high-fived me. "But at least you have a guy who _talks_ to you."

I raised an eyebrow. "I do?"

She looked at me like I was crazy. "Uh, yeah. Matheus."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

She shrugged. "I think you two would be cute together."

Emily raised her hand for a high-five. "Up top, girl!"

Ellis chuckled and complied.

I froze in my tracks, mouth agape. "Not you guys, too!"

Ellis looked up at me, confused. "What do you mean?"

Emily grinned at me. "C'mon, the little guy's adorable! Go for it!"

I groaned. "No." I picked up my pace, my slight heels hitting the ground hard.

That did it. This summer I _had_ to find a boyfriend, summer school or not.


	2. Chapter 2

*McKynleigh*

For a moment, I just stared blankly at the boy in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" we yelled in unison. Again. I guess he hadn't heard my conversation with Mr. Woodlee, after all.

"I'm here for falling asleep at the assembly," I explained coolly, my arms crossed over my chest. "You?"

"Everyone in sports had to come," he said, his tone colder than mine.

I stiffened, my eyes narrowing at him. "Well then, could you at least sit further away?"

"Yeah, no," he said, moving back to his seat and glaring at me over his shoulder. "I'm sitting next to Cameron. _You_ sit further away."

"I sat here first." I scowled and sat down between him and Emily, who was grinning at me. Cameron rolled his eyes at her, smiling. Why were they sitting two seats away, anyway?

Mr. Woodlee walked in. His eyes automatically went to us. "You two just can't stay away from each other, can you?" he asked, amused.

We both just glared. Well, this was off to a great start, wasn't it? I heard the door click shut, but kept glaring at my desk.

"Sorry I'm late."

I looked up, surprised at the voice that had said those three words.

Mr. Woodlee looked over at the boy walking through the door. "Oh, hey. You're in luck, I'm just about to start roll. Go ahead and grab a desk."

I watched as an extremely cute guy with black hair and piercingly blue eyes walked up to me.

"Mind if I sit behind you?" he asked, pointing into the only available desk in the room. I nearly melted right there. _No one_ at our school had an accent, let alone an unbelievably _hot_ Irish brogue.

"Go ahead," I said easily, shrugging.

He set his stuff down and sat. "Thanks," he said, nodding slightly.

"Sorry if I'm blocking your view," I apologized, letting a bit of my nervousness slip in.

"Oh, you're fine," he said, glancing up from digging through his bag. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Damian, by the way."

I shook it, smiling. "McKynleigh." I turned back around, lightly biting my lip.

"Abraham," Mr. Woodlee said, starting roll.

"Here," I said, barely paying attention to the words coming out of my mouth. Hot, Irish, and taller than me? Far too good to be true.

Megacrushing, here I come.

After class I stayed in my seat, subtly staring across the room at Damian, who was standing at the door, talking to Cameron.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and glanced back. Matheus was standing next to me, backpack on and hands in his pockets.

"Hey, McKynleigh, I've gotta talk to you," he said, ignoring my scowl. "Walk home with me?" He nodded toward the door.

My scowl faded and I quirked an eyebrow, a bit suspicious. "O… kay…?" I reached down, grabbed my stuff, and followed him out the door, smiling a bit at Damian as we squeezed past. He smiled back.

I followed Matheus down the hall and out the front door, not saying anything until we reached the sidewalk.

"So, what'd you need to talk to me about?" I asked. I dug my water bottle out of my bag and took a swig.

"You like Damian," he said simply, barely looking at me and adjusting the strap of his backpack.

I nearly choked. Instead I sputtered, swallowed quickly, wiped the water off of my chin, and managed to get out, "W-what?"

"It's pretty obvious." He shrugged, trying to hide a smile.

_How so?_ I thought. "What about it?" I tried to put a bit of threat into the words, but fell flat.

"Well," he started, his smile widening as he tried to look nonchalant, "I was thinking I could make friends with him… and then try and get you two together."

I paused and turned to him. "Wait, seriously?"

He nodded, still walking. "Yep."

I ran – or jogged, really – to catch up with him. "Well, I – What can I do for you? I'll get you anything!"

His eyes automatically went to the mesh pocket on my backpack. "A Twizzler?" he asked, pointing at the bag.

My eyebrows went up in surprise. "Sure!" I reached back, grabbed the bag, pulled one out, and handed it to him.

He smiled a bit and took a bite, part of it already sticking to his braces. "And…" he started, swallowing.

"And?" I asked, taking one for myself.

"And…" His gaze drifted up so he was staring at the sky. "Ellis."

I froze mid-bite. _What?_


	3. Chapter 3

*McKynleigh*

"Sunday?" Ellis asked, putting her pencils back in the case on her desk, but looking up at me. "I think I'm free."

"Really?" I asked, probably smiling a bit too wide. "Awesome! Wanna go to the pool? Emily and Cameron are coming."

"'Course I am!" Emily said behind me. "I can show off my new bikini." I didn't have to turn around to know she was grinning.

Ellis rolled her eyes and shrugged, looking amused. "Sure. Sounds fun."

I grinned evilly and leaned in a little too far. "And it's okay if I invite a couple more people, right?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Um, sure…?"

I straightened up, my smile growing. "Oh, perfect."

And so we all wound up going to the pool together. I didn't know how Matheus had managed to drag Damian along and, honestly, I was too scared to ask.

Ellis and Emily had come over to my house and Cameron and Damian had gone over to Matheus' – we lived across the street from each other, after all – and we'd all met up halfway to the pool. As soon as we did, I grabbed Matheus and pulled him aside.

"What?" he asked, trying to pull his arm out of my grasp.

I let go too quickly, almost making him fall over. "I never would've guessed that you like Ellis." I was half-whispering so the other four wouldn't hear us, since we were only walking a few feet away.

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Why not? She's adorable!" He was silent for a moment. "And, you know, I actually… come up to her shoulder."

"Ahhhh," I said, trying to hide a smirk. I looked over at Ellis, who was gesturing to the manga Emily was holding. The Latina's blank expression made me assume the shorter girl was trying to explain one of the scenes to no avail. She looked overly excited – her eyes were wide, her hair was framing her face, and she was practically jumping as she walked. Matheus was right, she was adorable.

I sighed and turned back to him. "Well, I have some bad news."

He looked a bit scared. "What?"

I chuckled nervously. "She, um, she kinda has a thing against guys. I mean, she's straight, she just automatically hates anyone with a Y chromosome."

His eyes widened. "Seriously?"

I looked back over at everyone else. Cameron had drifted over to be walking next to Emily – his girlfriend – and Ellis was not-so-subtly glaring at him.

"Um, yeah," I muttered, silently debating whether or not to pull her away.

"Well," he said, pulling my attention back to him. He looked… confident. Very confident. Overly so. "I'm sure I can change her mind." I couldn't help but notice the gulp at the end.

I shrugged. "Alright, whatever you say."

He leaned forward a bit to look around me. "Hey, you should probably go talk to Damian. He looks left out."

I tensed a bit. "Oh. Right."

"Oh, and I asked," he said, smiling. "He's single."

My eyes widened a bit. "Seriously?"

He smiled wider. "Yep. Now it's up to you." He grinned. "Good luck."

I grinned back. "You, too."

Well, looked like I was going for it.

I almost wanted to thank him.

I stared at the pool in front of me with what I think were stars in my eyes. It was almost a hundred degrees out, and I'd forgotten how freakishly big the place was.

"Um, guys?" Ellis tried to get my attention behind me. She whistled. "Hell-_o_?" She was silent for a moment. "You realize it's just water, right?"

"Is it really that exciting?" Cameron asked.

"Yes!" I wasn't the only one saying that. I glanced over and finally saw that Matheus was standing next to me.

I turned back to the water, grinned, ran the last few feet, and cannonball in. Even underwater I heard a second splash.

I resurfaced a second later, still in slight shock from the cold, laughing and gasping for breath at the same time. "My God, this feels so good!"

Matheus laughed next to me. "I know, right?"

Emily cleared her throat, drawing our attention back to those four. She looked a bit annoyed, Ellis and Cameron looked amused, and Damian looked like he thought we were crazy.

Matheus punched my shoulder – not too hard, but enough to hurt.

"What are you doing?" he whispered. "Go talk to him!"

"Like you can talk!" I hissed. "Go talk to _her_!"

_Wups_, I thought as I climbed out. _Got a bit carried away there. Gotta remember why I came here._

"Hey, Damian!" I said, walking over. "Wanna swim with me?"

He shrugged. "Okay." He didn't look very enthusiastic.

I bit my lip slightly, nervous. "Um… Did you even wanna come?"

He looked surprised. "Well, yeah. I wouldn't have if I didn't want to."

God, that accent. I smiled a bit, trying not to look to hopeful. "Really?"

He smiled. "Yeah. And you two are really funny."

I raised an eyebrow. "'Two'?"

He tilted his head to the side, just a bit. "Are you and Matheus going out?"

I stiffened, fists clenched. "_NO_!"

He jumped back a bit. "Oh."

I bit my lip. Alright, that wasn't a smart move. "Um…C'mon." I walked back to the edge, jumped in, and floated to the middle before setting my feet back on the ground. A moment later he was standing next to me and I was trying to think of something to say.

"So," I started, "if you're in summer school, did you fail a class?"

He shook his head, thought a moment, then nodded. "I was absent the day of my English final, so my grade dropped to a 69."

"Oh," I said, nodding. That made more sense. He didn't seem like the type to flunk out.

"Yeah," he said, nodding, too.

_Aaaaand_ now we didn't have anything to talk about. Okay, gotta think of something to say. Something… C'mon, _anything_!

I unconsciously sank down a couple of inches, realizing I couldn't think of anything. So the ball that hit me in the head actually made me fall over.

"Are you okay?" Damian asked, alarmed.

I nodded as he reached down to help me up. When I was back on my feet I looked over in the direction that the volleyball that my hands were now half crushing had come from and saw Matheus trying hard not to laugh and Ellis laughing almost hysterically next to him.

I heard a stifled chuckle and glanced back to see Damian covering his mouth with his hands.

I frowned and chucked the ball back over to the other two.

"Oh, c'mon, Miki!" Ellis said, catching it, her laughter toning down just a bit.

"C'mon, what?" I asked, exasperated.

"Throw the ball around with us!" Matheus said, taking it from her hands. "Do _something_!" He threw it back to me.

I caught it and rolled my eyes. "Alright, if you wanna." I threw it back to Ellis.

Matheus swam over and pulled me aside. "'If you wanna'?" he whispered. "Seriously? Like you were having so much fun doing nothing!"

"I couldn't think of anything to say!" I hissed back.

He waved it away. "That's 'cause you're trying to be all fake and nice."

"What?" I struggled to keep my voice down.

He flinched, then swallowed and tried to look confident. "See? Just be yourself, you'll be fine." He smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

Ellis whistled loudly, pulling my attention back to her. She threw the ball to me. I caught it, floated a few feet closer, and threw it to Damian. It went on like that for a minute, until I noticed something.

"Hey, where are Cameron and Emily?" I asked, looking around and holding the ball in my hands.

"Oh, they went on the waterslide," Ellis said, motioning for me to throw it back.

I raised an eyebrow. There wasn't a–

"Whoa," Matheus said, eyes wide. "When did they build _that_?"

I followed his eyes and found, sure enough, a 25' waterslide.

"And how did we not notice it?" I finished the thought, not sure if my mouth was closing all of the way.

I threw the ball in Ellis's general direction and turned to Damian. "You wanna go on?" I asked a _bit_ hopefully.

He shook his head. "I don't really like things like that."

"Oh…" I muttered, rocking back on my heels.

"Ellis?" Matheus asked in the same tone I'd used.

She scoffed. "Sorry, but no. The thrill seeking's her job." She pointed to me.

He nodded, looking a bit disappointed, before looking up and meeting my eyes. I knew what he was asking and nodded.

"Would you mind if we left for a bit?" I asked, turning back to Damian and resisting the urge to flutter my eyelashes.

He shrugged. "Go ahead."

"We'll be back in a minute," Matheus promised Ellis.

She waved it away. "Knock yourselves out."

We both beamed and ran off.

And I, being the genius that I am, didn't even realize that I was leaving Ellis and Damian alone.

"Hey, guys," Cameron said as we walked back over. He was leaning against the clubhouse wall, Emily was leaning on his shoulder, and Ellis was sitting down a few feet away, wrapped in a towel.

"Have fun?" Emily asked, wrapping her arms around one of Cameron's.

"_Yes_!" Matheus and I said in unison. It was a 25 foot twisty slide! Of course we – Oh, no.

"Not again!" we exclaimed. Again in unison.

He pulled me aside again. "We _have_ to stop doing that."

"Gee, ya think?" I hissed. I froze, my eyes darting around. "Um, where's Damian?"

"He went… somewhere," Ellis spoke up. How much of that conversation had she heard? "He kinda disappeared after we got out."

"Well, that can't be good," Matheus said, stating the obvious again.

I gulped. Okay, this was bad. _What if he left because I was ignoring him?_

"Oh, look," Matheus said, sounding a bit relieved and looking behind me.

I turned around and saw, sure enough, Damian walking towards us, a bag in one hand.

"Oh, hey!" I said, trying not to sound too relieved and drifting over to him. "Where were you?"

"I was thirsty, so I bought some soda," he explained. "I got enough for everyone." He reached into the bag, pulled out a can of Coke, and handed it to me.

"Thanks!" I said, taking it, a bit surprised.

He nodded, smiling a bit, and handed one to Matheus.

"Awesome, thanks!" the shorter boy said, automatically popping it open.

Damian walked over to Emily and Cameron and handed a can to each of them.

"Thanks, hon," Emily said with a ridiculously flirty wink. I swear, that girl…

Cameron wrapped a protective arm around her waist, mock-frowning at her, but smiled at Damian. "Thanks."

Damian smiled back. _Instant bromance_, I thought, smiling. He walked over to Ellis.

"I got you something hot," he said, handing her a can. "You seemed cold."

"Uh, thanks," she said, sounding a bit taken aback. I finally noticed that she was shivering.

He nodded, still smiling. Sadly, the only thing that got through to me was that I liked his smile.

"Bye!" I said, waving, as we split up to walk home. I frowned a bit and turned to Matheus, who was still standing next to me. "Ellis and Damian live in the same direction. Is that a bad thing?"

He shook his head, his hands in his pockets. "Oh, come on, Damian's a good guy. Ellis shouldn't get _too_ mad at him."

"Yeah, you're right," I said, nodding. I started walking, a bit slower than normal.

"Besides, she could totally take him," Matheus pointed out, walking next to me.

I giggled. "That's what I'm worried about." I looked down at him, smiling. "You know, you two seemed to be getting along pretty well." After we'd gotten out, the two of them had started talking.

He grinned. "Well, I'd hope so. With how lovey dovey you and Damian looked."

I bit my lip slightly, trying not to grin, but let it go after a second. "Thanks. This is all 'cause of you, you know."

His grin widened, his cheeks tinted pink. "Yeah. Let's keep trying, okay? We can do this."

I nodded. "Uh, yeah!" I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We're gonna get 'em, just you watch."

So why did I feel so nervous?


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: So this is where it all heats up! Where we find out some _interesting things_... And where I shut up and let you read!**

* * *

><p>*McKynleigh*<p>

"So, Damian's pretty cool, huh?"

I took a moment to blankly stare at Ellis before slight panic set in. "Wait, you don't mean–"

"No!" she cut me off quickly. "God, no." She laughed a bit. "He's just really nice."

"Sure is," Emily chimed in from where she was leaning against the school hall window, smiling.

"Like, yesterday he walked me all the way home," Ellis continued, shrugging.

_He did?_ I thought, worrying a bit.

"I always thought of guys as, well…" she trailed off for a moment, searching for the right word, "dicks, but Damian's really nice."

"Oh… good," I said, nervously running a hand through my hair. "That's great."

_Doesn't this mean I'm in trouble?_ I thought, worried. _I mean, if Ellis winds up liking Damian, too… I don't stand a chance._

"But it looked like you and Matheus were getting along pretty well, too," Emily pointed out.

I automatically perked up. "Yeah! He's okay, too, right?"

Ellis nodded. "Yeah. He was really easy to talk to. I guess it's because he's so short. I don't even really think of him as a guy."

My jaw hit the floor.

_Oh, dear_, I thought, trying to close my mouth. _Matheus, you're in trouble, dude. God, if he heard that…_

I heard a crash and turned around. I wasn't biting back a scream because of the girl sprawled on the floor halfway down the hall; the source of the noise. Instead, it was for something much closer.

"Good morning," Matheus said, now standing in front of me, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"M-Matheus," I managed to choke out, shocked. "How long've you been standing there?"

"'Morning," Emily said, smiling and ignoring me.

"Hey, Matheus," Ellis said, doing the same.

"Good morning, Ellis," he said, his empty smile making him look more like a figurine than a person. "Yesterday was nice, wasn't it?"

She looked at him like he was crazy, but laughed a little. "Yeah."

"Matheus…" I started.

He looked up at me, his expression not changing. "I'm sorry, what? I'm so much shorter than you that I can't hear you."

I grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Dude, snap out of it!"

His empty smile stayed in place, not wavering a bit. "What'd you say? Never mind, will you please tell Mr. Woodlee that I'll miss class today? I'll be…"

He trailed off, tore himself out of my grip, and sprinted down the hallway.

"Ma-_MATHEUS_!" I yelled after him.

"Uh, Miki," Emily said behind me.

"You guys go ahead," I said, taking off in his direction.

"Miki, you'll miss class!" Ellis pointed out, half-yelling.

I ignored her and picked up my pace, disregarding the pain from my high heels.

"Matheus!" I said as soon as I could see him again. I reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. Instead of struggling like I'd thought he would, he stiffly turned toward me. He glared up at me, fists clenched, but his breathing was shaky.

"Yes?" he half-growled, obviously trying to look tough.

I stared, at a loss for words. "Um…"

"I'm waiting for the pep talk," he said, keeping up the same façade, which was ruined by the fact that he was shaking.

I growled quietly. "Don't be so frickin' rude! I'm trying to show a little concern, here!"

"Maybe I'm a little upset!" he yelled, his knuckles turning white.

"So she said you're small, big deal!" My 3-inch heel-clad foot stomped against the ground. "Be a man about it!"

"She's saying I'm _not_ a man _because_ I'm small!" he retorted.

"You idiot!" I cried. I let go of his arm only for the same hand to ball into a fist and connect with his face. He hit the ground, letting me loom over him even more. "Big or small, tall or short, you got a dick, you're a guy!"

He stared up at me, his eyes wide. "I-I thought you didn't cuss," he managed through obvious shock.

"Who cares?" I cried. "Look, you've been called short a million times! And then a girl you like says it and you fall apart? That's pathetic!" I stomped my foot again. "If you get so depressed over stuff like this…" My fists clenched as I thought of what to say. "Don't ever fall in love again! Dumbass!"

I stomped off, fists clenched, heels clacking loudly against the linoleum. "Argh, I swear!" I grumbled to myself. "That really pisses me off! Stuff like that just really gets me!"

I glared down at the floor as I walked, clenching and unclenching my right fist. I tried to fight back the slight feeling of guilt. He'd looked so depressed, but…

_I thought he said he was going for it_, I thought, scowling down at the ground. _That stupid shrimp. Just when I was starting to think he might not be so bad. Well, forget him! I'll go for it all by myself!_

I slammed into something, my eyes still on the ground instead of where I was going. "Oh," I said quietly, surprised, stumbling back a few inches. I shook my head, trying to clear it. "Sorry." My gaze lifted until I saw the person's face, making me blink in surprise. "Damian."

"'Morning," he said, smiling and adjusting the strap of his backpack that I'd messed up.

"I, uh, think class has started already," I pointed out.

He laughed nervously, his smile turning meek. "Yeah, I'm late."

"Weren't you late the first day, too?" I asked, trying not to be distracted by how cute that expression made him look.

He nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I can't get up in summer."

I raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh."

"Or, um, winter," he said, blushing a bit. God, he looked adorable.

I tried not to laugh. "Oh."

"Aren't you late, too?" he asked, trying to regain his composure.

"Um, no…" I started, searching for an explanation. "I just… Um…"

"Hey, thanks for inviting me along yesterday," he cut me off, seeing my awkwardness. "I had a great time."

He'd caught me a bit off guard. "Oh!" I said, pleasantly surprised. "Good! Me, too."

"Um…" he started, scuffing his heel against the floor.

"Yeah?" I asked, my interest peaked by his sudden change in mood.

"Am I… nice?" he asked, scratching at his neck again.

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "Huh?"

He shrugged. "Ellis kept glaring at me yesterday, like I was a jerk or something."

"_So, Damian's pretty cool, huh?"_

"Oh…" I said, remembering. "She's got a grudge against guys in general. So I don't think it's you."

"Okay," he said, looking a bit relieved.

_Maybe she has a bit of a crush on him_, I thought, _and just hasn't realized it yet. But still… What if I got him?_

"I don't usually get along with girls, either," he said, snapping my attention back to him.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. He seemed like the type of guy who got along with everyone.

"Yeah," he said, nodding slightly. "But with you it's… different."

I felt my heartbeat speed up just a bit, my face reddening. "Oh…"

"I think it's because our eyes are at about the same level, so I don't feel like I'm talking to a girl," he continued, using his hands to point out the gap between our heights, which was noticeably bigger because of my heels.

I slumped, trying not to gape. "Oh. Okay."

Gee, why did _that_ sound familiar?

_What if?_ I thought bitterly. _Yeah, right. What an idiot._

"So…" he started, "it's not like she has a problem with _me_, really."

"Right," I sighed, running my hand through my hair. I froze, realizing what he's just said. "Wait, what?"

_Huh?_ was the only thought I could process for a moment as I stared at him. Was he _blushing_?

_Excuse me?_ I half-screamed in my mind. _What did you just say?_

I coughed, trying to clear my throat. "Don't tell me you have a crush on Ellis."

"Of course not!" he said quickly, his blush deepening, his eyes wide with fake surprise.

"But your blush–" I managed to get out while keeping myself from panicking _too_ badly.

"No, I'm not," he cut me off in one of the least convincing ways I'd ever seen. "I'm just hot. It's hot out." He coughed awkwardly. "Well, I… better get to class." He started walking only to stop in the middle of the hall, turn back to me, and say, "I don't, okay?"

As soon as he was out of sight, I crumpled to my knees, expecting tears. The fact that my eyes were dry didn't stop my self-pity. _No way. I don't believe this. He totally has a crush on her! It's so obvious!_

"Hey, Miki."

I looked up and saw Matheus standing a few feet away again.

"Look at you," he said, smiling bittersweetly, "all crumpled in a heap after yelling at other people and calling them pathetic."

I sighed, moving my eyes to the floor again. "Sorry. Forget I said that."

"What!" he cried, obviously surprised. "Hypocrite!"

I kept staring at the ground, feeling that my expression was almost blank, but not caring as much I should've. "It _is_ depressing. Even if you think you're used to it, it hurts when the person you like says it."

_Probably should've known he'd like a cute, small girl_, I thought, thoroughly depressed. _Everyone does. An Amazon like me doesn't even count. I don't even–_

My train of thought was cut off by a fist connecting with the side of my face. "You idiot!"

I jumped to my feet, holding my cheek and gaping at him. "Did you just freaking _sock_ me?"

He half-smirked. "Payback's a bitch." He took a deep breath and put on a determined face. "Look, I'm not giving up on Ellis. Got that? I'm still going after her."

"Matheus…" I said quietly, my surprise coming through in my words, my hand slowly lowering from my still-throbbing cheek.

"I mean, I haven't even done anything yet," he continued. "'If you get so depressed over stuff like this, don't ever fall in love again.' That's what you said, right?"

I smiled a bit and nodded. "Yeah."

He grinned, his hands in his pockets, and this time the smile reached his eyes. "You know, I'm glad I had you around today. If I didn't, I would've just stayed really bummed out."

I stared at him, shocked at his sudden change in mood. _You know_, I thought, slowly processing everything that had gone on between us for the last couple of days, _this guy really ticks me off sometimes, but I probably understand him more than anyone else. Our problems are the exact opposite, but we have the same complex. Our height. So when he says he's going for it, it kinda makes me feel like I can, too._

"And I'm going after Damian," I said, finally smiling at him.

He held up his hand for a high-five that I happily delivered, finally thanking him.

In my mind, at least.

"Sorry for being late," I said, stepping into the room after Matheus.

"Late?" Mr. Woodlee asked skeptically. "The class is half over, guys."

"Sorry," I repeated, smiling meekly and going back to my desk.

Damian's eyes met mine as I sat down. "I don't," he said, blushing again. "Really."

"Okay, okay," I said, waving it off and turning back to the front.

"Uh, Matheus?" Ellis got his attention from her spot behind him. "Why is there a huge red mark on your face?"

He laughed. "Long story. I'll tell you later." He looked over, noticed me looking at him, and smiled. I smiled back.

So, ladies and gentlemen… Where is the story of this lopsided duo going to lead?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh, the <em>drama<em>... XD**

**Brittney (or however she spells her name), aka my rl reader enjoyed the "I can't hear you" line... It was originally a name joke, but they don't have the same names, so... ^^;**

**Any guesses on ships?**


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